A Series of Unfortunate Events: Predator and Prey
by TheBrightestNight
Summary: Dear Reader, Pleasantries here, are not. From Percy Jackson's point of view you've heard this tale. A tale that takes a grim turn as Luke makes choices most would not understand. Choices that fall the first domino in a chain reaction. –Ariadne Blackwood
1. One

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson**

**A/N: This is the third book in A Series of Unfortunate Events (not by Lemony Snicket): the first one When it Rains and the second, Enemy Among Us.**

**Recap: I'm writing a series of unfortunate events that was Luke's life from the day May decided to become the Oracle to the day Luke sacrifices himself to the save the world. This third one takes place during the Lightning Thief. (Which means dialogue from the book, I hope you don't mind too much.)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

_You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend…. ~ Oracle of Delphi_

άλφα—Alpha

Luke walked forward with a bright smile for the newcomer.

"Now, now, campers." he called over the murmuring of dissatisfaction of harboring another "undetermined" person in their cabin, even though Luke agreed. It was always crowded and tiresome when someone new came. That was another thing about the gods: they didn't even have the decency to take a second out of their immortal lives to claim their children. "That's what we're here for." Luke continued keeping up the façade. "Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there." He gestured to the small spot.

"This is Luke," Annabeth introduced for him, a slight blush staining her cheeks. Luke had always wondered if she had a crush on him. Liked him more than a family member, an older brother. By the looks of it, that was a definite yes. Luke just wasn't sure what he felt. Of course he always loved Annabeth as that smart, young little seven-year-old sister he took care of when they were on the run. But Thalia—

"He's your counselor for now." Annabeth continued, breaking Luke out of his thoughts. Her face had hardened and the blush had left her cheeks. Percy was looking at her curiously.

"For now?" he asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke said repeating the words he'd said who knew how many times since he'd first gotten to camp. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers." It was never easy to say his father's name, but Percy didn't seem to notice.

Percy was silent for a while as he looked at the small spot Luke had given him, shifted his Minotaur's horn in his hands, and then around at the other campers in the cabin.

"How long will I be here?" he asked looking back at Luke.

"Good question," he answered, although to him it was a blatantly obvious question. "Until you're determined." Which wouldn't be too long.

"How long will that take?"

The whole cabin burst out into laughter. Luke repressed a sigh.

"Come on," Annabeth said quickly. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"I've already seen it." Percy objected stupidly.

"Come on." she hissed grabbing his wrist and dragging him back outside. The kids continued to laugh as he left. Luke let out an audible sigh this time before closing the door and going back to sit on his bunk. But it was only a few moments later was there a piercing scream. All the mayhem going on in the cabin stopped—which was hard to do—and everyone turned to look at the door. For a millisecond time seemed to freeze, then just like that everyone was up and pushing to get out the door.

Luke followed slowly and jogged up to the big crowd that had gathered around the bathrooms. He pushed his way through to get a closer look. Clarisse and two of her half-sisters lay sprawled on the ground, which was dark and muddy and smelled horribly of sewage.

All three of them were coughing and spluttering. Then Percy and Annabeth stepped into view and Luke's eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch. Annabeth was sopping wet just like the Ares kids, but Percy was completely dry. Not a drop on him. None of the other campers seemed to notice, though, because of the novelty of Clarisse and her siblings being grounded by bathroom water.

It's not like Luke didn't believe Kronos when he said that Percy was the son of Poseidon, but it seemed like with Kronos, he'd always have his reservations about what the titan told him. Hopefully Kronos couldn't see this—this fact would surely make him angry and Luke really didn't need that—and hopefully Luke would get over doubting him. He was a titan and he obviously would know things like that. Although, it was always good to have some confirmation and actually see it for yourself.

As Percy came into view Clarisse shot daggers up at him. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead." she spat.

"You want to gargle again with toilet water, Clarisse? Close your mouth." Percy shot back.

Clarisse let out a growl and lunged for Percy but her two siblings grabbed her before she could get to him and started dragging her back to the Ares cabin. The crowd split to let them pass, for Clarisse was kicking and trying to break free from the hands holding her back from pummeling Percy into a pulp.

Suddenly Kronos's words echoed through Luke's mind, _Make friends with this boy. Make sure he trusts you._ Luke turned and headed slowly back to the Hermes cabin thinking of a way to make friends with his kid. As he stepped inside he noticed the small empty spot that was to be Percy's. He hadn't brought anything with him here, so maybe Luke would be able to break the ice by stealing some supplies for him. That'd work.

Luke exited the cabin and went over to the camp store. There were four kids inside, including the councilor behind the counter. Of course, that didn't matter to Luke. He'd had so much experience stealing things it was like second nature for him, even when people knew he was prone to stealing items.

It was fairly easy to slip a couple of items into his pocket, and a few moments later Luke was heading out to look for a sleeping bag for Percy. (That wasn't hard either: he'd gotten the sleeping bag by promising to get a six pack of Coke for a camper from the Apollo cabin.) As he was heading back to the cabins, though, Luke noticed Annabeth standing at the canoe lake by herself.

He jogged up to her.

"Hey," he greeted with a friendly smile, putting the sleeping bag down next to his feet.

She looked up, her eyes clearing and a returning smile spread across her face. "Hey, Luke."

"So, how're things with the newbie?" he asked leaning against the railing.

Annabeth shrugged and looked out over the lake. "Fine." she said curtly. "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about the capture the flag game this week."

"Yeah?" Luke asked. Knowing Annabeth she'd been planning exactly how to win all week, going through all the possible scenarios, even though there had to be over a hundred, at least.

"I was thinking that we could use Percy to our advantage." she continued. "I mean, you saw what happened with Clarisse. She's obviously going to hold a grudge and the only real time she can get back at Percy without getting into too much trouble is the game. So, I was thinking that, because she'll be after him he could be used as bait and you could run in with some of the other campers and steal the flag.

"I'll set him up near the creek so he'll be easily spotted. With some of her forces taking time with Percy, it'll be easier for you to get in." she finished excitedly.

Luke crossed his arms. "You know sometimes I wonder if you really are a daughter of Athena." he joked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully. "Well? What do you think?" she prompted.

"I can already hear the cheers of victory." Luke told her. Annabeth beamed. "I'll see you later, then, Annabeth. I have some house-warming gifts for Percy." He picked up the sleeping bag.

"Okay, I'll see you around."

Luke headed off down the trail to the cabins.

Percy was sitting in his little spot when Luke entered. The rest of the cabin was trying to entertain itself until dinner. He put on a smile and walked over to Percy.

"Found you a sleeping bag," he told him, handing it over. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store." He pulled out the items in his pocket and handed them over as well.

"Thanks." he responded a little half-heartedly.

"No prob." Luke sat down next to Percy, leaning up against the wall. "Tough first day?" he asked.

"I don't belong here." Percy answered. "I don't even believe in gods."

"Yeah, that's how we all started." Luke tried his best to not sound bitter, but some came through anyway. "Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier." His mind starting going back to all the monsters he'd fought with Annabeth and Thalia.

"So your dad is Hermes?" Percy questioned.

Luke pulled out his switchblade and started scrapping some mud that had gotten onto his sandal, trying to keep his mind busy enough that he wouldn't scare Percy off if he started getting angry. "Yeah." he finally choked out. "Hermes."

"The wing-footed messenger guy." If Luke hadn't been so peeved he might've laughed at that description. It at least helped him compose himself a little better.

"That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors."

"You ever meet your dad?"

"Once."

Silence formed between the two half-bloods. Luke didn't care to explain any further. Just the memory made his blood boil.

He took a breath and composed himself, plastering a smile on his face though, he needed to make friends with Percy; he needed Percy to trust him indefinitely. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other." That had to have been the biggest lie Luke's ever told.

Percy seemed to relax slightly and then indecision flashed in his green eyes. Luke waited patiently. "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being 'Big Three' material. Then Annabeth… twice, she said I might be 'the one.' She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?"

Luke folded his knife up, thinking about that mummy up in the attic, the talks with Annabeth after the lightning bolt had been stolen, the announcement Chiron had made… his own quest and the repercussions… Kronos telling him that Percy was the son of the sea god and he'd be the one who would deliver the stolen items t him. "I hate prophecies." he told him flatly.

"What do you mean?"

Luke's face twitched involuntarily. _What an annoying, nosy little prick._

Swallowing this thought he said, "Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until… somebody special came to camp."

"Somebody special?"

"Don't worry about it, kid," Luke lied. "Annabeth want to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime." Simultaneously, the conch horn sounded outside.

Luke stood up and called to get the attention of the cabin. "Eleven, fall in!" The cabin lined up and marched into the pavilion while the other cabins, naiads, nymphs, and satyrs also came in.

Luke sat next to Percy, to help him through this first dinner. Traditions at this table were a lot different than at home, he was sure.

Chiron pounded his hoof against the floor, grabbing everyone's attention. He raised his cup. "To the gods!"

The others followed, raising their glasses and repeating, "To the gods!" Luke raised his own cup, but didn't say anything.

Luke noticed Percy looking at his empty cup. "Speak to it." he instructed. "Whatever you want—nonalcoholic, of course."

"Cherry Coke." Percy told it. His glass filled and Luke could see a light bulb go off in Percy's head. "_Blue_ Cherry Coke." he amended. The liquid inside rippled turning almost as dark as night. As Percy cautiously brought the cup to his lips, Luke grabbed a plate of smoking hot brisket for him.

"Here you go, Percy," he said, handing him the plate. He filled up his own plate as Percy did and right before he was about to dig in, Percy seemed to notice all the kids walking up to the large bronze brazier.

"Come on," Luke said, grabbing his plate and standing up. Percy quickly followed, walking next to the older half-blood. "Burnt offering for the gods. They like the smell." Luke explained as they neared the brazier.

"You're kidding." Percy muttered disbelievingly.

Luke went up the brazier and dropped a vine of ripe, fat, juicy grapes and mumbled, "Hermes." before going back to the table and sitting down to eat. Percy joined soon after.

Finally, when everyone had finished with their meal, Chiron pounded his hoof yet again against the marble floor and grabbed the campers' attention.

Mr. D stood and sighed heavily, with an expression that said this was the _last_ place he wanted to be right now… which really was his own fault. If he hadn't gotten in trouble with Zeus, he wouldn't be here making the campers suffer more than he did. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats." Pause. "Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

The Ares kids pounded their feet against the floor, and fists against the table, as they cheered.

"Personally," Mr. D continued forcing the cheering to quiet down. "I couldn't care less, but," Pause. "Congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."

Luke rolled his eyes at Mr. D's antics. He couldn't understand why he pretended to no know people's names. Chiron murmured something into his ear.

"Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected, no sounding embarrassed or sorry at all, just exasperated. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

With a cheer the campers got up and headed down to the amphitheater. Luke followed a little more slowly. The campfire was pretty fun, but it really depended on the mood Luke was in. Sometimes it felt a little childish, but sometimes after a hard day, it felt nice to just relax and act like a kid again.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week it was all about Percy. They put him in anything and everything they had at camp. And, although, Luke already knew who his godly parent was, he had to keep up the act as just another unsuspecting bystander also trying to figure out who exactly his parent was. So, he'd go and watch with other senior campers and counselors and have short conversations with them when he'd fail at archery or be beat by one of the Ares kids.<p>

At one point, just keep the "friend" act up, Luke told him he might be the son of Hermes, to try and make him feel a little bit better. Failing at a lot of specific things for specific gods looked like it wasn't settling well with the young half-blood.

Meanwhile, Kronos told Luke of his plan to get Percy out of camp: summon a hellhound during the capture the flag game that would attack as soon as the game was over. If someone was after him in camp, Chiron would feel that camp was no longer safe for him and send him on his way to "return" Zeus's lightning bolt.

It was foolproof.

When Thursday rolled around and Luke finally had a chance to do some swords play with Percy, which he was actually looking forward too. Luke wanted to see if Percy had any sword skills… sure he'd just arrived and wasn't particularly good at anything else, but it could've been one of those things that just came naturally. Well, whatever the matter, Luke was teaching his whole cabin today.

He started out with the basics: stabbing and slashing using the dummies dressed in Greek armor. Luke watched Percy handle his sword. He was decent with it, he seemed to understand Luke's instructions and he had pretty good reflexes, but Luke could see Percy struggle with the way he held the different swords that Luke had him try out. Either way, however, he'd hit too hard, or too high, or misjudge how long his blade was. Finally, it was just situating him with a sword that he could work with and leaving it at that.

When they came to dueling Luke announced he was going to be Percy's partner, it was kind of a given. And this time it actually didn't have anything to do with Kronos's plan. This was kind of routine for Luke. He liked training the newbies, seeing what they were made of and then training them the hard way by wailing on them until they finally grasped what he was trying to teach him.

Percy came over and Luke started the lesson. Within that short period of time, Luke had hit Percy so many times he had lost count. By the time Luke decided it was a good time for a break, Percy was drenched in sweat, completely beat. Luke himself felt like he'd just gotten started. Even so it was a hot day and he too was sweating. He poured the icy water over his head, not failing to notice Percy doing the same thing only a moment later.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke called. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo." Percy came forward and the Hermes cabin gathered around. "This is a trick using the flat of your blade and twisting the enemy's sword, forcing them to drop it." Luke explained to the campers. "This is difficult," he added seeing all the repressed smiles on the kids' faces. "I've had this used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."

Luke turned toward Percy and demonstrated in slow motion.

Percy picked up his sword and turned back toward Luke. "Now in real time," he told Percy. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?" He nodded and Luke was on him, not his usual, because he knew he'd be able to disarm Percy as soon as they started if he really wanted to. But as they sparred and Percy tried to catch Luke's hilt, he realized this kid wasn't joking around.

Instantly, he started pressing Percy harder and the next thing he knew his sword had flow out of his hand. The arena was totally silent, the only sound was Luke's blade at it rattle against the ground. There was a moment of silence, Percy's sword pointed at Luke's chest.

Then Percy lowered his sword. "Um, sorry." he mumbled.

There was another moment stunned silence, before a smile spread across Luke's scarred face. "Sorry?" he asked incredulously. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"

Percy was reluctant, but Luke kept insisting and finally Percy gave in. However, as soon as their blades connected Luke performed the trick quite nicely on Percy—not daring to go easy on him this time—and it was his sword that went clattering to the ground this time.

There was another moment of silence.

"Beginner's luck?" someone from the audience queried.

Luke wiped the sweat off his forehead and scrutinized Percy, suddenly remembering Percy pouring water on his head right before they'd begun the demo. More evidence that Percy _was_ Poseidon's son.

"Maybe," he said remembering that someone had spoke. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword…." And it was a good question too, just not exactly what Luke was thinking about.

**Okay, there you have it, the next "book". I know the chapter break was a little choppy, but I thought it'd be good to end there.**

**thank-you-for-everything**

**~ See you at Camp Half-Blood!**


	2. Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson**

**A/N: Wow… it's been a long time.**

βήτα—Beta

The rest of the week passed relatively uneventfully as Percy started getting into a usual Camp Half-Blood routine, Chiron and the head counselors giving up on trying to figure out who his godly parent was.

Then Friday night came and Luke prepared himself for that night. This was going to get the ball rolling and would change the history of the world forever. It was time to take down the gods and have a new age begin.

As usual, the air was buzzing with excitement for the coming game. And once everyone had finished eating the plates were cleared from the tables, and everyone stood as Annabeth, along with two of her siblings came running out form one side of the pavilion holding the long silver, silk banner adorned with a barn owl and an olive branch hovering above it. From the other side came the Clarisse and her siblings with a same length banner in a blinding red with a boar's head and bloody spear.

"Those are the flags?" Percy asked Luke over the roar of the other campers.

"Yeah." he answered curtly.

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?" Percy continued.

"Not always, but often."

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do—repaint the flag?"

Luke couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face at that question, thinking of Annabeth's plan. "You'll see. First we have to get one."

"Whose side are we on?"

Luke looked at Percy, clueless to how Annabeth was going to use him tonight… how Luke was going to use him tonight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And _you_ are going to help." he told Percy mysteriously. If only he knew….

After the campers settled down, they announced the teams; who was allied with whom. Along with the Hermes cabin, Apollo also joined Athena's brigade. Which left Ares with the rest of camp: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. Luke knew, though, from years at camp that it was mainly the Ares, Hephaestus, and possibly Dionysus cabins that they needed to worry about.

Once done announcing the teams, Chiron stomped his hoof on the marble floors of the pavilion.

"Heroes!" His voice rang out. "You know the rules." he started, as he always did, to remind older campers and inform newcomers. Luke felt he knew it by heart. "The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest if fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as a referee and battle field medic. Arm yourselves!"

Chiron spread his arms and all sorts of weapons and armor appeared before them. Luke chuckled seeing Percy's wide eyes and open mouth.

"Whoa," he breathed. "We're really supposed to use these?"

Luke shook his head, looking at him. Was he being serious right now? He couldn't be that blind, could he? "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here—Chiron thought these would fit." He handed Percy his sword, shield, and helmet. "You'll be on border patrol." he informed Percy, remembered Annabeth's plan.

Annabeth wasted no time calling the blue team, once everyone had finished armoring themselves.

"Blue team, forward!" she shouted.

While everyone cheered and shouted and started to follow Annabeth toward the south part of the woods, Luke quickly slipped away to call forth the hellhound. It wouldn't take long and everyone was so caught up with their excitement for the game that no one would notice his brief absence.

Making sure no one had followed him or was around, Luke quickly summoned the hellhound which formed from the shadows surrounding Luke in the fading light of day. Its lava eyes glowed and it pulled back its lips, revealing razor sharp teeth, dripping with drool, but it did not attack.

Luke met its eyes for a moment, then, it gave a short, low growl, and seemingly turned back into a shadow, waiting for its time. Just as well too, because Luke heard footsteps coming his way. It was Annabeth along with a few other Hermes and Apollo campers.

"Ready." she asked just as the conch horn sounded in the distance.

Luke smiled and nodded. "Ready." he confirmed. "Let's go capture a flag, hm?"

Annabeth smiled and put on her invisibility cap, disappearing. Luke looked at his small crew Annabeth had gathered for him.

He instructed some to forge ahead, going ahead a few minutes apart so as to not raise suspicion. Percy, was, after all, standing right at the border. He then led the remaining campers up to the creek, meeting barely any resistance on their way, sounds of sword meeting sword and arrows flying through the air. He paused, lying in the wait, looking for Clarisse and her buddies.

It wasn't hard to hear them coming and as soon as they hit the creek, making noise and catching Percy's attention, Luke ordered his crew forward into enemy territory. Everything was going exactly according to plan, as it usually did when the Athena cabin led the team. They met up with the campers Luke had sent ahead and scouted on, keeping an eye out for the flag.

As they moved further into the woods, the resistance they met became thicker and this was a good sign: that meant the flag was close. Just because the rules said only two people could stand guard for the flag, didn't mean that they couldn't put a bunch of protection spanning around the flag. And Luke was guessing that was exactly what the Ares cabin had decided to do.

But because there were at least five or six Ares campers already beating up Percy, that left the rest of the Ares cabin, the four from the Hephaestus cabin, and the two from the Dionysus cabin. Though they were a good defense, there weren't a lot of them and it was fairly easy to overwhelm them with so many campers from the Hermes, Athena, and Apollo cabins.

With everyone busy trying to defend themselves, Luke easily slipped in, grabbed the flag and then made a mad dash back toward the creek. It seemed almost unfair that Luke have the advantage of knowing the woods like the back of his hand. Sure the tree nymphs liked to move around, but that's why you learned rock landmarks, that were always in the same place and not moving around constantly.

By the time the red team realized what had happened, Luke was yards away. They tried to follow, but with some of the Hermes campers flanking Luke, and some Apollo keeping the Hephaestus kids occupied, it was in no time at all that Luke saw the creek.

Cheering broke out before he even reached the creek, and when he finally did, the cheering reached a new high. Smiling with gratification, Luke looked at the flag as it shimmered and turned silver, adorned with the mark of Hermes: a caduceus. Luke felt himself being lifted up by the blue team, who screamed and cheered and pumped their fists. Victory was never so sweet. There were a few more seconds of this when suddenly a menacing howl ripped right through the cheers, silencing them almost simultaneously. Luke was slowly lowered down to the ground as Chiron called for his bow in Ancient Greek and the campers looked for what had caused such a spine-chilling noise.

Luke searched expectantly for the hound… there! On a large rock outcropping, staring down, directly at Percy with its glowing red, lava eyes, its lips pulled back in a snarl. Luke made his way through the crowd to get a closer look.

Annabeth drew her sword and ordered, "Percy, run!" trying to step in front of him, but the hellhound merely jumped over her, as silent as a shadow, but solid enough to knock Percy to the ground, right before it tore through his breastplate. His blood flowing from his open wounds. But just as soon as it had knocked Percy over, 40 or so arrows flew into the hound's neck and it froze.

Luke couldn't help the small smile, pulling at the edge of his lips. Things were yet again, going exactly according to plan. He quickly wiped the smile off his face, replacing it with a stricken look, as Chiron came forward, toward Percy.

"_Di immortales!_" Annabeth muttered. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't… they're not supposed to…"

"Someone summoned it." Chiron announced, Luke walking forward a little more. "Someone inside the camp."

"It's all Percy's fault!" Clarisse wailed. "Percy summoned it!"

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her in a very serious tone even Clarisse had to listen to it.

Chiron turned his eyes onto the hellhound, on its side, dead. Everyone else followed his gaze as it shrunk in on itself; shrunk into nothingness.

"You're wounded," Annabeth said bringing attention back to Percy, "quick, Percy, get in the water."

Luke waited, watching with a curious sparkle in his eyes.

"I'm okay." Percy objected.

"No, you're not," she rebutted. "Chiron, watch this."

Not feeling like arguing, Percy sluggishly stepped back into the creek. The change in Percy was immediate and very noteworthy. Especially as his life-threatening wounds healed and all but disappeared. All the campers gasped, like a sigh in the wind.

Percy looked, of all things, embarrassed. "Look, I-I don't know why—" He looked down. "I'm sorry…." he apologized. Luke couldn't help but roll his eyes as his apology. Almost like that time he apologized for disarming Luke. Another smile spread across Luke's face as a glowing green, spinning trident lit up the creek and the surround forest, showing the awed faces of all the campers.

"Your father," Annabeth murmured as the trident slowly faded and everything became dark once again. "This is _really_ not good."

"It is determined." Chiron announced.

Luke, though not exactly wanting to, kneeled in respect, the rest of the campers doing the same. This motion followed by Percy's miffed voice asking, "My father?"

Chiron answered with, "Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God." his voice echoing throughout the forest.

* * *

><p>The days that followed were long, as Luke waited for Chiron to grant a quest for Percy, but the repercussions to Percy's attack on the Ares campers during the game, and the hellhound attack was kind of to Luke's advantage. Everyone in camp seemed to avoid him purposefully, and Luke walked in on one too many conversations about the son of the Sea God. The Hermes cabin refused to train with him in swordsmanship, so, to gain the young demi-gods trust, Luke decided to train him one-on-one. And just because they were probably going to become mortal enemies, didn't mean Luke had to hold back on his training.<p>

"You're going to need all the training you can get." Luke told him one day, while they were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions."

It continued like that until Percy was finally sent up to the Oracle. The next day he was on his way, playing right into Kronos' trap. All Luke had to do next was make sure that he got the enchanted shoes and he'd be golden. When he spotted Percy along with Grover, Annabeth, and Chiron at the top of the hill, he grabbed his basketball sneakers and quickly ran from the cabins and up to the hill before they left.

"Hey!" he called, grabbing their attention. "Glad I caught you." He made it to the top and quickly caught his breath. "Just wanted to say good luck," He smiled. "And I thought… um, maybe you could use these." He handed Percy the sneakers. Percy looked at them a little confused. "_Maia!_" Luke shouted, to show Percy what the shoes did, besides just being sneakers.

The wings sprouted out from the shoes and Percy dropped them, startled. The wings flapped uselessly, the shoes not making it off the ground, before they folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover exclaimed, looking at the shoes with wide eyes.

"Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…." Luke trailed off thinking how he had failed miserably at his quest and had no use for those shoes anymore now that Chiron barely let anyone out of the camper borders during summer.

"Hey, man," Percy started, turning red. "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy…" How was he going to say this? "A lot of hopes are riding on you." Just not exactly the hopes that he thinks. "So just… kill some monsters for me, okay?"

Luke stuck his hand out for Percy and they shook. Then Luke went over and patted Grover on the head before turning to Annabeth and pulling her into a hug. She wasn't the small, seven-year-old who needed protection anymore. There was just so much Luke wished he could tell her, but now wasn't the time.

Luke pulled away and gave them all one last wave before he jogged back down the hill and headed to his first activity of the day. It was—for the most part—out of his hands now. Now he just had to pray that everything would work out. Besides, Kronos hadn't given him any other instructions since he told him that Percy was coming to camp, so it's not like he could've done anything more anyway.

* * *

><p>The days past without any word from the trio, and Luke may have let it slip of what was going on between the gods; going on between Zeus and Poseidon. It was funny but annoying at the same time how loyal that the campers seemed to their parents. And Luke wasn't even sure if it was just the gods' auras that were affecting them because of the fact that they were, more or less, genetically related to their parents or just because they were loyal.<p>

Once the word got out, the campers started getting into more fights with each other. You couldn't put one cabin on Poseidon's side with a cabin on Zeus' side or you were just begging for trouble. Still, they found ways to get into fights. How Chiron got them to eat in the same place at the same time without fighting breaking out was a miracle.

A few days later, Luke was standing on the porch of the Big House, staring down at the meadows and strawberry fields, thinking about how long it was taking Percy. It's not like Luke expected him to finish his quest in a day, but it'd been several days already and it just seemed like they'd travel faster than that. Then again, monsters anywhere within a ten mile radius probably caught Percy's scent and that would most certainly hold them up—

"Luke!" someone called from behind.

Startled, Luke turned to see Percy… well Percy through an Iris-Message at least, but those messages had really good quality if you had a steady stream of mist.

"Percy!" Luke exclaimed, a smile breaking across his face. Had to keep the act up, right? Then he noticed Annabeth standing next to him. "Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're… uh… fine," Annabeth stuttered, Luke not failing to see as she straightened her shirt and brushed stray stands of hair out of her face. "We thought—Chiron—I mean—" Annabeth continued, not being able to figure out what to say next.

Luke's smile faded, thinking about all the fights and what was going on at camp, how things got worse and worse every single day. "He's down at the cabins." he finally answered. "We're… having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you?" Luke asked quickly changing the subject, thinking now was a good time to see how they were doing on getting to the Underworld. "Is Grover all right?"

Grover came into view. "I'm right here. What kind of issues?" he asked going back to the previous conversation. Almost as soon as he finished speaking, though, there was blasting music, like the bass from a car, or something.

"Chiron had to—what's the noise?" Luke asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I'll take care of it." Annabeth volunteered. "Grover, come on!"

Grover looked confused. "What? But—"

Annabeth interrupted him, "Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" She started pulling him away, forcing him to hand the nozzle over to Percy, who readjusted it so he could still see Luke.

"Chiron had to break up a fight," Luke explained still yelling. "Things are pretty tense here, Percy. Word leaked about the Zeus-Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how—probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are taking sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

The music finally quieted, much to Luke's relief.

"So what's your status?" he continued, in a normal tone now. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

Percy didn't hold back, telling Luke about everything that had happened and Luke could understand why they'd been held up for so long. He also told Luke about the dreams from Kronos. When Percy finished up, there was beeping on his end of the IM.

"I wish I could be there," Luke sympathized just as Kronos' orders blew through his head. "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen… it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly." Percy objected. And here came becoming Percy's friend and getting him to trust Luke came into play.

"That's true," Luke paused for a moment looking deep in thought. "Still… Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anyone else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

There was silence for a moment before Luke realized what he'd just said.

"Oh, hey," he protested quickly, not even believing that he'd just hinted at Annabeth stealing the bold. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never… I mean, she's like a little sister to me." Luke assured Percy.

Suddenly there was yet another noise. First it was silent, no music. Then screams, the slamming of car doors, and the screech of, what sounded like, tires burning rubber on asphalt.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke suggested. "Listen, are you wearing those flying shoes?" He just had to be sure that when they got to the Underworld they'd pull Percy into the pit. "I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

"Oh…! Uh, yeah!" Percy exclaimed. "Yeah, they've come in handy."

"Really?" Luke asked, eager at the news. "They fit and everything?"

There was a loud click and the mist started to disappear.

"Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke started to add quickly. "And tell Grover it'll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just—" He broke off, unable to finish his sentence as the mist completely disappeared and the connection was severed.

**You know how school works! I apologize for such a long wait. I'll try to update more frequently, but as I have learned from my other stories, making promises on when exactly I'll post is not a good idea. So no promise, just an assurance I'm back and I'll be posting soon.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**thank-you-for-everything**

**~ See you at Camp Half-Blood!**


	3. Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson**

γάμα—Gamma

That night Kronos called Luke forth.

_So, you've set the bait?_ he asked.

_For Percy? Yes. He trusts me utterly and completely._ Luke couldn't help the smile the crept onto his face._ The kid's as gullible as you can get._

_ Percy Jackson,_ Kronos confirmed. _Yes, the exchange went well, I see. And he suspects nothing?_

_ Nothing, my lord. He is as ignorant as the rest._

_Deception upon deception,_ he mused with a amused edge to his voice. _Excellent._

_Truly, my lord,_ Luke started, thinking about how complicated his plan had become, thinking about how he had inadvertently failed at delivering the items of power directly to him the first time. _You are well-named the Crooked One. But was it really necessary? I could have brought you what I stole directly—_

_You?_ Kronos asked derisively. _You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened._

Why was it that everyone always judged by people's failures? Okay, so no one's perfect, and everyone is going to make mistakes, fail, mess up, but did it really have to be the _only_ think that everyone dwelled on?

Luke started to object, _But, my lord—_

_ Peace, little servant. Our six months have bought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon has played his most desperate card. Now we shall use it against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish, and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands… but wait. He is here._

Luke froze, a little shocked at the unexpected news. _What? You summoned him, my lord?_

_No._ Kronos's pressing, cold voice seemed to alleviate from Luke, like he turned his attention onto Percy._ Blast his father's blood—he is too changeable, too unpredictable. The boy brought himself hither._

_ Impossible!_ It didn't seem likely at all in Luke's mind with Kronos being so powerful and all.

_For a weakling, such as you, perhaps,_ he spat his voice hitting Luke for a moment before turning his attention back to Percy. _So… you wish to dream of your quest, young half-blood? Then I will oblige._

There was a moment of silence, dead air, before Kronos turned his attention back to Luke.

_Continue as you have. You will get as you wish soon… _very_ soon._ Kronos said before Luke was sent back into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>More days passed and Luke was beginning to wonder what was taking them so long. There couldn't have been that many monsters attacking them could there? Things were getting worse at camp as the summer solstice neared closer and closer and it was a little unnerving. Had they got caught up somewhere along the way to the Underworld? Had Kronos's plan not worked out? Had they somehow managed to escape? That too didn't seem likely. Then again, a lot of things seemed unlikely to Luke when, in fact, they were just the opposite.<p>

Even the campers were starting to realize how serious this was going to get as the summer solstice neared. They stopped fighting, at least, but that was either because they were saving their energy for a war that might start or they were just too tense to really care about fighting anymore. This was the real deal. World War III could break out at any moment now.

Luke hated not knowing, especially with all that was at stake.

It wasn't until the day before the summer solstice did Luke find out what happened to the trio. The news upset him. Obviously it would, and though it was a major setback, Kronos wasn't as bothered as Luke assumed he would be. Of course, he was still peeved that Percy foiled their plans because he'd given Grover the enchanted shoes—Luke would later find out when Percy's adventure was told—but he was already formulating another way, another plan to rise from the pits of Tartarus.

So, trying not to think about it too much, because he still had to keep up an act, Luke waited at patiently as he could for instructions from Kronos. Even so, it was hard _not_ to think about Percy's victory because it was everywhere. As tradition, when they arrived back safe they had a banquet in honor of them and then burned their burial shrouds.

But it didn't end there because now that Percy was the conquering hero everyone wanted to be his friend (well, excluding the Ares cabin, because they were really hoping for his failure just because he'd made enemies with Ares now). They all wanted to hang out with him and train with him, he never had a dull moment after the quest, always having someone to talk to or hang out with.

This was good for Luke, though, in the long run. Now that everyone wanted to be his friend, Luke didn't have to be the only one there. He could go off and sulk all he wanted, and get his anger out when he felt that he couldn't contain it any longer and no one would know, especially Percy. Because he still needed to pose as Percy's friend. To his relief not for much longer, though.

Kronos had told him what his next plan of action was, and it was _perfect_.

* * *

><p>The end of the summer came quickly and then suddenly it was the last night that Luke would be at camp for the first time in five years. He wasn't coming back, and what a strange thought that was. He'd always been used to staying year-round, going through the same old routine every single year. Now it was different. He'd be doing many different activities this next year.<p>

However, he couldn't leave just yet, he still had one more thing to do before he left, so here he was again, announcing the bead at the bonfire… for the last time.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced standing and holding up the bead, showcasing it. "This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp and the quest he undertook in the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The rest of the campers stood and cheered, loudly. To Luke's surprise, even the Ares cabin stood.

The next day Luke packed up his things into his gym bag, grabbed his newly acquired sword already in its scabbard, made sure he had the six pack of Coke, and made his way down to the arena. It was early in the day, but it's not like everyone was going to be doing much of anything. Most of the kids were packing up and loading up their things on the shuttle bus that would take them back into the mortal world until next summer and the kids that were staying were probably taking this day to relax, sleep in, take a canoe ride on the lake, sit on the beach, etc. Luke knew this from experience.

Not only would this private sword practice give him time to break out his new sword, but also let him let off all the steam he wanted. All the steam he wasn't able to let off when sword fighting with the other campers.

As soon as he got to the arena he went straight to the dummies, dropped his gym bag and started shredding the dummies, pretending that instead of dummy it was a real live enemy that he was tearing to shreds, his half-steel, half-celestial bronze sword easily slicing through the straw and armor, like a warm knife through butter. When one dummy was nothing was a pile a straw, he moved onto the next one, not even missing a beat.

He'd gotten so caught up, he almost forgot what he was going to do… that is until he caught Percy watching him out of the corner of his eyes, Percy's eyes wide with wonder and awe. Luke stopped mid-swing.

"Percy." he said.

"Um, sorry," Percy mumbled eyes shifting, embarrassed. "I just—"

"It's okay," Luke said lowering his sword, shrugging. "Just doing some last minute practice."

"Those dummies won't be bothering anybody anymore."

Luke shrugged again, looking at the piles of straw. "We build new ones every summer." Like that really mattered though.

Silence formed between the two demi-gods as Percy took in Luke's new sword. He couldn't help the small, pleased smile that formed on his face. "Oh, this? New toy. This is Backbiter."

"Backbiter?"

Luke stuck the sword out a little, the sunlight hitting it, making it smile wickedly, shining in the light.

"One is celestial bronze. The other is tempered steel. Works on mortals and immortals both."

That should've been Percy's first clue.

"I didn't know they could make weapon's like that." Percy finally said.

"_They_ probably can't," Luke almost sneered, but stopping himself just in time. "It's one of kind." He gave Percy a small, almost secretive smile, sliding his sword back into his scabbard.

That should've been Percy's second clue.

"Listen, I was going to come looking for you. What do you say we go down to the woods one last time, look for something to fight?" Luke offered.

That should've been Percy's third clue.

Though, he did hesitate, the indecision was clear on his face.

"You think it's a good idea?" he queried. "I mean—"

Time to pull out the persuader.

"Aw, come on," Luke interrupted, going over to his gym bag and pulling out the six pack of Coke.

And that should've been Percy's fourth clue.

"Sure," Percy finally decided. "Why not?"

They headed down, looking for monsters, but they all seemed to be in their dens sleeping. Full stomachs and warm weather could do that to anyone… or any_thing_ in this case.

So, giving up, they went down to the creek, found a shady spot and sat on a crock outcropping, sipping their Cokes. It was quiet for a quite a while as they just sat there, listening to the creek, the birds, the leaves rustle when a slight breeze passed through. Then, Luke spoke: "You miss being on a quest?"

"With monsters attacking me every three feet? Are you kidding?" Percy responded looking at Luke like he was crazy.

Luke looked back, raising any eyebrow.

"Yeah, I miss it," Percy admitted. "You?"

He just had to bring that up, didn't he? Luke swallowed hard and fought to keep control.

"I've lived at Camp Half-Blood year-round since I was fourteen." he started. "Every since Thalia…" Luke trailed off unable to say it let alone think about it without feeling the hatred for the gods bubble up inside him. "Well, you know. I trained and trained and trained. I never got to be a normal teenage, out there in the real world. Then they threw me one quest, and when it came back, it was like, 'Okay, ride's over. Have a nice life.'" He couldn't help the anger that leaked through as he continued to speak.

Luke crumpled up his empty can, letting some of his anger out and threw it into the stream, not missing Percy's shocked face.

"The heck with laurel wreaths," Luke continued. "I'm not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic."

"You make it sound like you're leaving."

Finally, he was realizing something.

Luke finally let his true self come through, enough hiding. It was time to be who he really was. His smile was twisted. "Oh, I'm leaving, all right, Percy. I brought you down here to say goodbye." A smile still on his face, Luke snapped his fingers. A hole appeared at Percy feet and through it crawled out a very large scorpion. Percy's hand started toward his pocket and Luke didn't fail to notice this. "I wouldn't." he warned. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds."

Percy looked at him confused. "Luke, what—" He broke off suddenly and his face cleared. "You."

"I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy," Luke told him, standing up and brushing off his jeans like he wasn't about to indirectly kill Percy. "Didn't you feel it—the darkness gathering, the monster growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics—being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-blood." By now, Luke was practically spitting his words through his teeth.

"Luke… you're talking about our parents," Percy said, looking a little shocked.

Luke laughed without humor. "That's supposed to make me love them." he spat. "That precious 'Western civilization' is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest."

"You're as crazy as Ares." Percy decided.

Luke's jaw clenched and his hands furled into fists. "Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, Percy, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long."

Right on cue, the scorpion made its way up onto Percy's leg.

"Kronos," Percy said almost feverishly. "That's who you serve."

The air around the two grew colder.

"You should be careful with names," Luke cautioned him, his voice quieting down again.

"Kronos got you to steal the master bold and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams." Percy continued anyway.

Luke's eye twitched involuntarily. "He spoke to you, too, Percy. You should've listened."

"He's brainwashing you, Luke."

"You're wrong." Luke's anger rose again. "He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I'd done, _that_ was the best he could think up." This last sentence was said through gritted teeth.

"That's not an easy quest," Percy pointed out. "Hercules did it."

"Exactly," Luke spat. "Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this"—his hand shot up, pointing angrily at his scar—"and when I came back, all I got was pity. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero had ever had the courage to take. When we went on that winter-solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zues's master bolt right from his chair. Hades's helm of darkness, too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. There security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft."

Percy glanced at the pit scorpion now sitting on his knee. When he spoke, his voice was strained, like he was trying to keep it under control, to keep Luke from seeing just how panicked he felt. "So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?"

Luke's smile faded slightly, remember the nightmares. "I… I got overconfident." he admitted. "Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the stolen bolt—Artemis, Apollo, my father, Hermes. But it was Ares who caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus and burn me alive. Then Kronos's voice came to me and told me wat to say. I put the idea in Ares's head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the itmes away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence." Luke pulled out his sword and stroked it with his thumb, busying himself as he finished his story. "Afterward, the Lord of Titans… h-he punished me with nightmares. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-Blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way—from Ares down to Tartarus."

Another thing dawned on Percy. "_You_ summoned the hellhound, that night in the forest."

"We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for you, so he would start you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked." Smile.

"The flying shoes were cursed," Percy realized. "They were supposed to drag me and the backpack into Tartarus."

"And they would have, if you'd been wearing them. But you gave them to the satyr, which wasn't part of the plan. Grover messes up everything he touches. He even confused the curse." Luke looked down on his little pet that was now resting on Percy's thigh. "You should have died in Tartarus, Percy. But don't worry, I'll leave you with my little friend to set things right."

"Thalia gave her life to save you," Percy spat through his teeth. "And this is how you repay her?"

"Don't speak of Thalia!" Luke snapped infuriated that he thought he knew what Luke had gone through, what Annabeth had gone through. He wasn't there! He didn't have to watch as those hellhounds came down on Thalia like a tidal wave. He didn't hear Thalia's cries of agony. He didn't have to watch his best friend die in front of his eyes. "The gods _let_ her die!" His voice quieted darkly. "That's one of the many things they will pay for."

"You're being used, Luke. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos." Percy urged.

"_I've_ been used?" His voice raised on octave, his anger rising as well. "Look at yourself." he snarled. "What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest—the ones who serve him."

"Call off the bug," Percy said. "If you're so strong, fight me yourself."

Luke smiled, amused. "Nice try, Percy. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord is waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to undertake."

"Luke—"

"Goodbye, Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it." he interrupted right before slashing his sword in an arc in the empty space next to him before stepping through the portal, ready to begin his quest to help the Titan Lord rise again and finally get his wish to tear Olympus down brick by brick.

_An open enemy is better than a false friend. ~ Greek proverb_

**All righty, last chapter. I wasn't expecting it, either, I really wished this had been at least 4 chapters… but I did say 3-4 chapters, so, what are you gonna do?**

**Next "book" should be coming soon. Don't know when, can't make a promise on exactly when, but soon. And, sorry, don't have a name either, but stay tuned!**

**Hope you enjoyed… I know this chapter was mainly composed of dialogue from the book, but Luke doesn't really do anything in this book but set the series up, what was I supposed to write about, his sword training adventures? Boring!**

**thank-you-for-everything**

**~ See you at Camp Half-Blood!**


End file.
